Jerry's jibbing at the causeway

12/22/09

Tuesday proved to be another great day on the water. Wind was out of the east and we sailed from the south side of the east island. I rigged a 7.0 on my 118L board. I was pretty much able to sail the channel south past the spoil island and over to the the House of Refuge. Water was flat, gusts strong and the sun was out; it doesn't get any better than that!

Henry's testing the water

12/22

I haven't been on the water in 8 days, but it was worth the wait because today was awesome! Wind and water wasn't too cold and I was on a 6.0 with an 88L board. Jibing was sweet on the west side of the river with flat water and good wind. James was at the causeway and was pretty excited about sailing and Dave from Mich. was there as well. Dave said on Friday he was chipping ice off his roof rack so he could load up his gear! Tomorrow is forecasted to be anaother good day.

Dick's powering up!

12/22

Jerry's coming out of a jibe

12/22

Sunday was great! I arrived at 11:30 and a lot of sailors were already there. The wind didn't look like much since the causeway (east island s side) was somewhat sheltered from IRP marina but the wind line was saying 26-31 from the east. I rigged a 6.0 on my 88L board and was on it till 3:00. I spent most the time up near the House of Refuge. Great time had by all!

I arrived at the causeway at 1:00 and it was out of the NE. David, Greg and a few others were on the water. I showed up just after Dino and rigged a 7.0. The wind didn't look like much on the north side of the island, but you didn't have to schlog far to get to the wind line. The wind direction was such that you could run from bridge to bridge which was nice. After an hour or so the wind seemed to back off some. It was a little on the cool side since it was mostly cloudy but we had a good time. The hourly forecast shows 18 - 24 for tomorrow!!!

Richard is hoping it will keep building.

We had high hopes for today. Forecasts showed 20 - 30 mph. I expected to see the river covered in white caps but I was sadly mistaken. It was fairly flat but you could see some gusts come through (SSW) and it would build some and then back off. David said he was out earlier and it had been droping since. I took some pictures; Bill, they other Bill, Richard, Dino, and Craig were on the water.

Bill gives it one more shot before calling it a day.

Wednesday was another good day on the water. I was out for an hour on a 6.0 and an 88l board. Sailed with Dick and Art for a while near the House of Refuge.

Jack's enjoying sunshine and breezy weather

I had a good time on the water Tuesday. I rigged a 7.0 and headed out to the House Of Refuge. Art was there, the water was flat with some nice gusts coming through. We had a great time buzzing around the area.

Marion is heading out.

I didn't expect much on Sunday but it turned out to be pretty good. I guess the reason was Dick, Henry and Jerry were golfing.....if you were, thanks guys! I arrived at 2:00 and rigged a 7.0 but I wasn't sure if it would be big enough. The wind kept building and after an hour I was overpowered and made my way back to the causeway. Art, David, Ron, Rick, Jon, Dino, and Austin were out.
The hourly shows tomorrow blowing 16 - 23 out of the southeast, 77 degrees and mostly sunny.

Wow what a holiday! We had a great Thanksgiving feast at Sarah and Franks, Saturday the Gators stomped Florida State and Sunday afternoon turned out to be a great day on the water. Driving across the causeway I saw a lot of sails on the water, wished I had taken some photos. I rigged a 5.0 on an 88L board and had plenty of power. I sailed from 1:30 - 4:30. Near the House of Refuge I experienced some huge gusts and just off the west island the water was fairly flat with plenty of wind....what a day. Also talked with Jack and Marion, they arrived on Tuesday.

I arrived at the causeway Saturday at 9:15. Art was rigged and heading out on his 6.5. The wind wasn't blowing as forecasted and was showing some holes so I rigged a 7.0 and put on a big fin. When the gusts came through I was cursing the big fin and then when I was hunting a gust to get back on plane it helped, so I guess I rigged right. I buzzed up to the Jensen causeway and to the cove north of Joes point. After an hour I made my way back to the Stuart causeway and a lot of sailors were rigging. The wind was NE and you could almost parallel the channel and sail with the boat traffic. I checked on Willa and went out for another 30 minutes and then the wind seemed to back off. It was a good morning on the water and when the sun did break through the clouds it sure felt good.

Austin is heading out.

11/19/8 Mathew calls it a day.

11/19/8 Wednesday the wind was blowing a bit better than the previous day. I rigged a 6.0 and went out on my 88L board. Mathew, Dorian, Dave M and Art were already on the water. I was pretty well powered but didn't want to stray to far north of the island in case the wind faded. The first 45 minutes were great and I sailed some with Mathew. Then the wind backed down and it was iffy getting back. After work I walked to the top of the bridge and shot some photos. Unfortunately the light was fading fast and my batteries died.

11/19/8 Coast Guard patrolling the Indian river.

11/19/8 Unidintified sailor heads in.

Jeez I wish I could be as wrong as much as a weather forecaster and still be employed. Today was supposed to be a big wind day and it didn't really happen till about 2:00 and then it faded around 4:00. I went out on a 7.0 and the water was fairly flat with some gusts coming through so it was fun. Brandon and Jon were on the island around 3:30 and they were trying to figure out who was the fastest, Dave, David or Dave! I'm not sure but we had a good time.

Sunday was forecast to be a big wind day out of the north so I headed up to the south jetty. At 9:30 it was blowing 12 - 15 and at 10:15 it was 15 - 17. I rigged a 7.0 on a 118L board and headed out. James was already on the water and we sailed around for a while. When I got past the jetty I had way to much speed and it was hard to control the board so after a half hour I came in and talked to Jon and James some. I considered rigging a smaller sail but decided to go back out and then the wind faded. I plan to try it again when the conditions are right and can be on smaller gear. I headed down to the Stuart causeway and everyone was packing up because the wind had droped. I saw Mathew and Greg (aka. Kawabunga). Art was rerigging and Dino was on his way but I decided to head home.

11/12/08

Jerrys heading in, wind wasn't quite filled in enough.

11/11/08

Tuesday at lunch the wind wasn't up as expected but fortunately I had my light wind gear. I went out on the formula board and rigged a 10.5. I was nicely powered and made my way north to the Jensen causeway. Light wind sailing is so relaxing, the water was flat and the only sound was that of the water hitting my board. Well that and the sound of the water hitting Ricks board as he sailed past. We found Art at the Jensen causeway nicely powered on a 7.5!!! He could probably plane on a water ski with an umbrella. It turned out to be a great lunch hour.

11/12/08

Ingrid dances around the mast.

11/09/08

This past Sunday I got down to the causeway around 3:00. I brought my light wind gear and the wind was blowing about 7.0. I rigged my 8.5 and went out on the formula board for an hour and a half. I had plenty of power, actually it wasn't that bad. I gave Dino a run for his money a few times. It was interesting because the Stuart airshow was going on and a lot of ariel maneuvers were taking place in the background. The only down side was the amount of boat traffic.

11/12/08

Rick is giving David some assistance as the "Master Rigger" looks on.

Tough day on the water

10/31/08 - I went out friday during lunch and had a good sail. I hadn't been on the water in 2 1/2 weeks. Wind was out of the NNE 20 - 25. Rigged a 7.0 and sailed up to the Jensen causeway and on the way back saw Dave M and a few others. I went out again after work and rigged the same. Dino, Ron and Clark were there. Shortly after hitting the wind line and getting powered up everything came unglued and I ended up in the water......my mast broke. Dino sailed by and took my boom in and then Ron sailed over and offered to pick me up at the west island. That was a big help, so I rolled up the sail and broken mast and lashed it to the board and paddled in. Later I found out David had broken down earlier in the day.

10/14/8 We could have stayed out a few more hours, moon was bright and the wind was still up. Photo by Eugene

10/14/8 Eugene enjoying a good afternoon on the water.

Tuesday I was on the water at 5:00 Tom, Craig and Eugene were there. I rigged a 6.0 on my 88L board and headed out to the House of Refuge. The first 45 minutes were great, flat water and some nice gusts coming through. I was able to make some nice jibes and then the wind seemed to back off. I headed back and switched to my 118L. I buzzed up and down the channel a few times and then went under the bridge and headed for the Jensen causeway. The wind came back up and I had plenty of power and speed. I jibed at the causeway and headed south as the sun was setting. What a great way to end the day. When I got back to the island Eugene was there and we de-rigged as the moon was coming up.

10/14/8 Workin' Dave

Monday proved to be a good day on the water. I rigged a 5.0 and went out during lunch. Tide was high and I was able to buz all over. I headed out to the House of Refuge and saw Art but couldn't spend much time since I had to get back to work. It was nice to be out with such a small rig. There was a lot of sailors on the water that day.

10/12/8 Ron's on the move.

10/12/8 Andrea's Enjoying the afternoon.

Sunday was a great day on the water. I arrived at 2:00 and found quite a few sailors on the water. I rigged a 5.5 on the formula board for Sarah and she went out and stretched her windsurfing abilities as well as her arms. Some clouds and drizzle came through and the wind shut down but shortly after the skies cleared and the wind filled in. I was on a 7.0 and went over to the east side and buzzed the channel a few times. Looks like the wind will be up through Wednesday possibly Thursday.

10/12/8 Paula and Sarah

Saturday turned out to be a great day on the water. I rigged a 7.0 on my 118L board and went out to the House of refuge and sailed with Art for an hour or so. Andrea was sailing a little closer in. Wind came up some so I headed back and was considering rigging a 6.0. Dick suggested putting the 7.0 on my 88L, which seemed like a mismatch. It worked great! I had enough sail to get me through the hole and out to the wind line. Once powered up the smaller board gave me more control. Sailing on the north side of the island I saw Tom, Dorien, Darren, David, Charles and Ron. Some of our northern sailors are migrating back and I spoke with Henry and Jon.

Wow, I haven't been on the water in over a week. However wednesday 9/24 was great! Wind was out of the north at 26 - 28. I rigged a 5.0 on an 88L board and sailed till sunset. When I arrived at 5:00 Brandon, Bill and a few others were on the water. Shortly after that Dino and Austin showed up, we had the best time. This past weekend I was in Ft Myers and brought some gear to teach my niece how to windsurf and the wind never came up. We waited all day Friday and Saturday.....nothing! Was able to watch the Gators play Saturday afternoon and then they lost by 1....geez.
Things are looking up however, this morning channel 12 said breezy Sunday through Wednesday!!!!

FYI

Someone is interested in buying some light air gear, check the forum http://treasurecoastwindsurfing.com/index.php and click on buy/sell

Hurricane Ike

9/8/8 This was my track from Monday. Logged 40 miles Monday and 37 miles Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday the wind was still blowin but I had to sit out and get some rest. The wind has dropped today and Ike is expected to make landfall near Galveston around midnight. Not much wind in the forecasts. There is a depression east of the Caribbean, remnants of Josephine.

Hurricane Ike

I was out on the water yesterday. Wind was ENE @ 23 gusting to 28. Rigged a 6.0 on an 88L board and was nicely powered. I sailed out to the house, up and down the channel and on the west side of the river. Logged 40 miles on the gps and had the best time. Bill, Dino, Austin, Brandon, David, Ron, Todd, Craig and a few others were out. I met Dr Connelly (Tom) for the first time. I told him I had heard the slip/slop/slap commercial and he asked if it was to long. I replied, “Just a little. Alls we want is the wind speed”. He said he would have them shorten it.
Pretty much did the same thing today but wasn’t out near as long. I rigged the same but really had to flatten out the sail. Mitchel, Dino, David, Charles (welcome back!) and I believe Richard were on the water. Hurricane Ike has created all this wind much like Gustav did. It’s amazing that a hurricane at the west side of Cuba can affect our weather.

TS Fay Sarah's video

TS Hanna

Thursday I talked to Dick and Dorian as they finished up on the water and decided to rig a 7.0, wind was out of the north. After rigging a rain band came through and wind dropped. Dino, Austin and Brandon showed up and the wind started to fill in as the skies started to clear. I jumped on my 88L board but couldn’t really get on plane. Switched over to my 118L board and took off. River was getting real choppy so I headed up to the cove north of Joes point. Finally got to some flatter water but I had way to much sail. Made a few runs and headed back. It was a real struggle getting back and I was done! I was talking to Dino and he said if Brandon is on a 6.2 and you are on a 7.0, what’s wrong with that picture? No argument there. Austin stayed out in front of the island and worked on his water starts……he even nailed a few!!

Dino, Austin and I went out to the river yesterday evening. Driving over the bridge it looked 8.5, it was out of the NNE and when we got to the east island it looked flat. I had to use binoculars to see the wind line. I reluctantly rigged my 8.5 and headed out. Surprisingly it seemed to fill in and we sailed till sunset. Austin’s sailing abilities are progressing fast. He’s planning and using his harness. Fay and Gustav have provided some nice windsurfing lately, but wait there is more. TS Hanna, Ike and Josephine are poised to stir up the winds once again

8/31/8 Larry passes kite boarder

8/31/8 Austin teaching friend

8/31/8 Sunday was another good time on the water. I rigged a 6.0 on my 88 liter board, never felt over powered. There was quite a few windsurfers out and met some new sailors. Austin brought a friend and was teaching him to windsurf.

8/30/8 I read in the Sunday paper that the guy who owns the plane that went down lives at Sewalls Point. He was doing some aerial maneuvers and lost power. Dick told me he came in fast, passed over Dorian and splashed twice and then abruptly stopped. The pilot and passenger were unhurt. The paper said the plane was a soviet era Yak used for training.

8/30/8

Wow today turned out to be a great day on the water, except if you are flying a plane! I showed up at 2:00 and most everyone was on 7.0's. There was quite a few sailors out. I saw Dorian, Fred, David, Richard, Ron, Bill, Tom, Dino, Austin, Brandon and Dick. I rigged a 7.0 and put on a big fin because the wind looked borderline 7.0. The wind was actually bands from Hurricane Gustav which is at the west end of Cuba! I made my way out to the House of Refuge and when the wind filled in with heavy chop the fin made the board a bit unruly. I caught a huge gust in fairly flat water and headed off down wind, but I didn't keep the board perfectly flat and the back end started coming out of the water. To much air got under the board and I got hurled. Ended up laying on top of the sail looking at the sky. I was out about two hours and when I got back to the island Tow BoatUS was dragging an airplane to the boat ramp. The plane landed in the water on the south side of the west island. That was quite a sight. I was taking pictures and Dino and Austin hit the water. The wind filled in some so I swaped out to a smaller fin and went back out. After 40 minutes on the water my knees told me it was time to call it a day. This sure was better than Friday. Dino and I went out, I was on my formula board with a 10.5 and was only able to get on plane a couple times.

Kite Boarder

8/21/8

8/21/8 This is from the post on Thursday, see post below, Bill is heading in.

TS Fay

Thursday turned out to be another great day on the water. I arrived at 5:00, Brandon and Bill were there. I rigged a 4.5 and was out 45 minutes or so. Wind was out of the SW and was up and down. I was slightly overpowered most the time and when the gusts came through they were huge. From the House of Refuge south the water was flatter and occasionaly you could catch some huge gusts. As I was heading back to the causeway the wind came in huge north of the spoil island. The board was up on its tail and after recovering I got hit again and spun out in huge chop. I sat on the board for awhile and let the wind calm down before heading back. Dino rigged his 4.2 and I was considering rigging a 4.0. I was taking some pictures of the kite boarders and soon afterwards the wind started to fade. Looks like we may have another TS Storm SE of Cuba should find out today. Other than that the forecasts look bleak

I made it back out on the water wednesday. Talked with Dick and Brandon, they got me on the right size gear. Rigged a 5.5 and was on my 88L board. I was nicely powered most the time and it seemed tame compared to tuesday. Wind would back off at times and would fill back in followed with some nice gusts. I was able to hit 33 mph on the gps. Canadian Dave showed up and rigged about the same as me. He was getting cabin fever and was glad to be out on the water.

TS Fay

8/19/8 I shot this video when one of the gusts came through on tuesday.

TS Fay

TS Fay

Tuesday afternoon Dino, Craig and I braved TS Fay. I was on a 4.0, Dino was on a 4.2 and Craig was on a 3.5. Wind was SE 33 gusting to 45 mph and I was slightly overpowered most the time. The gusts were unbelievable, it was hard to control board and sail. Seemed more like bull riding than windsurfing. I spent most the time in front of the west island, but the wind did back down some so I headed for the House of Refuge. Made it close to the pink house and then headed west to the spoil island. When I was half way there these good size waves were coming through with huge gust.....decided to head back and it was a struggle. It was an extremely good time and it was nice to be on small gear after months of 8.5's!

TS Fay

8/19/8 Austin our weatherman was reading 55mph under the bridge. By the old boat ramp he was reading 33 gusting to 45

Well here it is Tuesday and TS Fay is making its way inland. For the most part wind speed is in the low 30's with gusts in the low 40's. If the tornado watches would subside and my company doesn't call me in, maybe I can get out to the river. Sunday Sarah, Frank and I went out to the sailing center. The wind was out of the N at 9 so it was perfect for learning. They were on the water for quite awhile. Frank was on the formula board with a 7.0 and Sarah was on my 118L bic with a 4.5. Dino and Austin showed up but didn't get out on the water.

At the Sailing Center Sarah's video

TS Fay

Hey Hey things are looking up in the weather department thanks to TS Fay. From previous experience I have noticed we get good wind when the storms track up through the gulf just off the Florida coastline and that is the projected path for Fay. Right now Iwindsurf shows SE winds at 29 mph for Tuesday afternoon. So check the weather sites and we will see if this pans out.

skunked

Tuesday evening was looking to be a good time on the water. At 5:18 I was headed to the causeway and the wind line said it was blowing 23!!! When I got there Art was about 200 yards out on his 7.5 and nicely powered. Dino was dragging out his equipment and rigging his 7.2, so I followed suit. We could hear the railings buzzing up above, tide was high, and things looked good except for the low, dark ominous clouds to the northwest. Some lightning flashed way out west and Barry walked up and questioned Dino about it. We were armed with enough meteorological knowledge to justify our actions. Dino has this infectious wind optimism and in short order Barry was rigging her sail as well. When the lightning was coming down on three sides of us and the wind faded, and changed direction; we found ourselves sitting in our vehicles listening to the rain and watching the windows steam up. Oh well there is always tomorrow.

Jibing at the Causeway Sarah's video

Running afoul of the law!

Saturday I arrived at the Stuart Causeway at 3:30, rigged an 8.5 and took out the formula board. I had plenty of wind and headed for the House of Refuge. Art and I had a good time buzzing around for an hour or so and the wind started to fade. I was schloggin’ dead down wind towards the east island and about 200 yards out the wind kicked up so I headed west towards the channel. After crossing the channel I jibed in the shallows and headed back for the east island. A catamaran had made its way to the channel from IRP marina and was turning south, a power boat had just come under the bridge and was heading south slowly. So I got up on plane crossed the channel and passed the catamaran on its north side when all of a sudden I hear a siren. I look around and a Martin Co. Sheriff’s boat has its blue light flashing and is heading right at …….me? So I make my way past the boat ramp and sheet out the sail. The boat pulls alongside and the deputy asks if I thought I was taking a risk back there? I replied no considering the speed at which the boats were going. Then he says, well their could have been a power boat on the other side of the sailboat and I would have been in trouble. At this point I realize their is no reasoning with this guy and decided to agree with whatever he said and then he launches into this rant. You are not a vessel…..You don’t have the right of way….. You are just a surf board with a sail. I don’t remember what he said after that my head was spinning and we parted ways. My neighbor, who jet skies the causeway a lot, suggested that the deputy must have been bored. To pull over a windsurfer is the strangest thing he had ever heard of. I am going to copy this into the forum, if anyone wants to comment they can do so there. Click on the following: http://www.treasurecoastwindsurfing.com/

Afternoon Delight

One thing you can be sure about wind predictions during the summer months is that you can not count on them. Sometimes that can be a good thing. This weekend, for example, the winds were predicted at 5-10 mph at most weather websites I use, some of which are listed on this blog. Well, it would seem that most of the morning and part of the afternoon that would have been correct, but each day after 5pm the wind kicked up well over 15mph. 8.4m sail for me, 8.5m for Dave and 5.8m for my son Austin worked well on Saturday. It seemed Sunday would have been identical, but little after 5:30pm the wind gods smiled on us once again and while I was once again on my 8.4m and Austin on 5.8, I was overpowered most of the time; I came in to add downhaul to my sail and I used my adjustable outhaul to flatten it out as well. Now it was more manageable. When I came back in I could hear the sound the bridge railings make only when wind is kicking arnd 17+.
While Austin was not overpowered, he was feeling it in his hands and arms. Not using the harness just yet, (that is the next step in his windsurfing progression) he was able to maintain the board on the plane, but as most of us know, without the harness it can be quite tiring. Never the less, he kept at it until the wind and the sun dropped.

Friday after work around 6:00 Dino and I got to the causeway as the wind faded out. We rigged 10.5, 10.7 and took out the formula boards, it was dissapointing to say the least. Sunday Sarah and I went to the causeway around 2:00 and the wind was very light. Art came in and said at 1:00 it was good for about 45 minutes. Sarah wasn't out more than a half hour when a storm kicked up. She got back to shore as the white caps rolled in. I had an 8.5 rigged and was wishing I was on a 7.0. The first 20 minutes were brutal and then it backed down some and the next 1 1/2 hours were great. Nice way to end the weekend.

7/13 I was able to catch some storm generated wind Sunday. Photo taken by Sarah

Sunday and Tuesday afternoon the wind was blowing but by the time I got rigged and on the water it had faded a lot. I was on my 118L board and an 8.5 sail. Sailed with Dino on Sunday and on Tuesday Austin was on the water as well. Not much in the forecasts.....ugh!

6/29/8 Art's heading in.

It was good to be out on the water Sunday, I hadn't been out in two weeks!!! The wind was blowing 14 - 16 for about 3 hours. There was a thunder storm NE of us that helped bring the wind up some. Art showed up, rigged a 7.5 and he headed out to the House of Refuge. I could see Dicks sail out there as well. Frank and Sarah came out and worked on there windsurfing skills. I rigged an 8.5 and pretty much stayed near Frank and Sarah, but I did shoot over to the IRP marina a few times. Water was very low and there was a fair amount of boat traffic.

Learning at the causeway Sarah's video

We are saddend to hear that Morty passed away last week. Any information regarding an informal memorial will be posted on the forum. There is a link to the forum on the top right column of this blog.

The weather the past couple of weeks has been very tropical and unsettled in nature. When I check the Jensen web cam site the wind history looks like a mountain range in the evenings. Spikes rise up to 20 with gusts to 25 for a period of an hour or less and the 24 hour wind graph shows wind direction from all points of the compass. Weather forecasters show high pressure off the coast, wind out of the SE and the storm activity should diminish some through Sunday.

Saturday the wind was light out of the east. We ended up at the sailing center. Sarah, Frank and Austin were on the water honing their windsurfing skills. My younger daughter Becky was down from Asheville and was on the water as well. Dino and I paced the shore and sandbar giving advice when we thought it was needed but we were hoping mostly that the wind would fill in. Dino did go out on the formula board with his 10.7 and it looked like he needed every square centimeter to get up on plane.
This week was just like last, wind was light and out of the west with frequent thunder storms (Art, you didn't miss much). Today, Saturday and Sunday the wind is all over the place but in the afternoons it is out of the east around 10, we will see.

D&D School of Windsurfing

Most of this week our weather has been dominated by an upper level low causing the storms and light wind. It is supposed to move out of the area and friday through the weekend we should see winds out of the east. The NOAA hourly is showing Saturday afternoon as the best day for wind, 14 - 18mph out of the east.

The students at D&D School of Windsurfing are progressing! Austin is beach starting, tacking and you can see him pumping his sail when the gusts come through. He favors cammed sails and carbon rig components, fortunately he has a rig master/Dad with the same tastes. Sarah and Frank have both beach started, their runs are getting longer and are working on their tacks. We were at the Stuart causeway on Sunday at 5:00 and stayed almost till 9:00, Tammy and Willa came along, great time had by all!

Sunday around 3:00 Sarah, Frank and I were at the Stuart causeway. They spent at least 2 hours on the water. Dino and Austin showed up and Austin seems to be picking up this sport quickly. Off in the distance Arthur seemed to be lurking, not the tropical storm but Art on his windsurfer. I am pretty sure it was his sail we saw. Around 5:30 I grabbed Dino's 10.7 and took off on my formula board. The water was shallow, the wind was lite so my runs were short. It seemed like to much work so I called it quits around 6:00. While we were packing up the wind filled in.......figures.

Its easy as one two three.

Dino and Austin make it look easy!

Geez Dad rig me a bigger sail and I'd be planing too

5-30-8

Wow what a great way to end the week!

I made it down to the sailing center around 5:30, rigged an 8.5 and headed out on the formula board. Found I should have gone out on a smaller sail and board, I had plenty of power. The wind was ENE, I could sail the channel and went under both bridges. Dino showed up a little later, we were on the water till 8:00 and had the whole river to ourselves.

Karen's cruisin.

Frank's getting the hang of it.

OK the wind didn't come up quit as advertised but it was good none the less. The bridges were jammed because of the Memorial weekend croud so we found ourselves at the sailing center. Sunday Art, Dick and Joel were on the water. Monday Art, Dick and James were out. Sarah and Frank joined me so they could continue learning and Dino was teaching Karen. It's been a year since we were at the Sailing Center and it was good to be back.

Art's setting up for a jibe.

I haven't been on the water for a week.....I'm feeling listless. Tuesday and Wednesday were looking good but I was nursing a sore shoulder. I have been watching the forecasts and it looks like Sunday afternoon will be good. The wind will build out of the NE and at 2:00pm it should be blowing 16 - 23mph. It will be nice to have some cooler wind out of the east and blow this smoke away. Happy sailing!

Smoke On The Water

Other than the smokey conditions, this afternoon turned out to be a good day. When I first arrived, there was about 5 Formula boards with sails up to 11m. It did not look too promising for me since the biggest sail I had with me was the 7.2m. One slight chance of hope was that Dorian, who's a big guy, was sailing on 7.5. I rigged my 7.2 and to my surprise took off like a bat out of hell, which sounds more accurate than it really was since the sky looked like it was on fire, with sun being darkened to a fiery orange color by all the smoke; it was quite a sight.
Flat water and gusty West/SouthWesterly winds made for great speed sailing. The water was clear, and few of us were even able to sail under the bridge and continue on North toward the Jensen Causeway. I believe Eugene did just that because for a while I could not locate him anywhere on the south side of the island until he finally reapered through the bridge.
While I do not wish these high winds keep adding fuel to the Florida fires, it sure was good to have them this late in season.

Brandon's catching some wind at the end of the day.

We were in Ft Myers for Mothers day, so Saturday we went out to the Sanibel causeway. Sarah and Frank put some time in on the water. Sunday on the way home the wind really came up out of the southwest. I was able to get out to the Stuart causeway at 4:00. Rigged a 6.0 on my 88L board and had plenty of power. Dino was there and Brandon showed up later. It was nice to make huge runs up and down the river. Monday the wind was still up, I got to the river at 5:30 and rigged the same as Sunday. James and Kathy were still there. The wind wasn't as filled in so I switched to my 118L board. I had a good time, when the gusts came through.

Sarah's uphauling that sail.

Dude, lets pull over for a hotdog.

The planets must have been aligned yesterday. The wind came in as forecasted and I was able to get on the water at lunch with an 88L board and a 6.0 sail. Dorian and Fred got me dialed in to the right rig. I was limited on time so when I got out to the House of Refuge I was able to make one run south of the spoil island to the west side and then back to the House. Then I caught a gust and headed off the wind and recorded 31mph on the gps. I know Art was out the whole time but didn't catch up with him. When I got back to the island James was heading out, but I had to pack it up. After work I picked up Willa, some smaller sails and went back out to the causeway. Brandon and James were out, Dino was rigging. There was flatter water out at the House, a fair amount of chop in the middle and the consensus was a good time had by all! Then to top it off for dinner I pulled in to RaceTrac gas station and got one of those hot dogs that have been cooking for about 4 hours and loaded it up. The way Willa was drooling you would have thought it was a steak, so I shared it with her. What a great day.

Saturday I didn't get out to the Stuart Causeway till 4:00. There was a lot of people windsurfing on the west island. The wind was more than I expected and the water was very low. All I brought was the formula board with its 58cm fin. Dave and Art graciously offered the use of their boards but I decided to launch on the east island. Kawabunga was packing up when I got there and he was out on a 7.5. I hesitantly rigged my 8.5 and headed out to the House of Refuge. I was really enjoying myself, had plenty of power and the water got flatter the further south I went. However, I had a run in with a jet ski and almost ran over the passanger. I was out about 2 hours and Brandon showed up followed by Dino. By this time I needed to head back, my legs were fatigued and the dog was "home alone". Once out of the flat water I discovered the wind had built some and it was a tough ride. Wish I could have sailed till sunset. Wind forecasts show Wednesday and Thursday afternoon may be good days, the best being the latter.

Here it is May 1st and we are enjoying a mild front that pushed through, thats awesome. I sailed at the Stuart Causeway yesterday and saw quite a few sailors out, some catching one last run before heading north for the summer. I thought the wind was going to be more easterly so I brought the formula board and my bigger sails. When I arrived it was blowing straight down the river and the wind line said 21mph. So I rigged my 7.0 and had a pretty wild ride. Cruised up to the cove north of Joes Point and caught some huge gusts. I was heading so far up into the cove I had to cut my run short because I wasn't sure of the water depth. I wish I had brought my gps because the speed on the flat water was unbeliveable. Today and Friday are looking good as well.

Hatteras, Frisco Woods

4/18 sunset

Hatteras, Frisco Woods

4/16 Jerrys setting up for a Duck Gibe

Hatteras, Frisco Woods

4/16 Jery catching sail on new side.

Hatteras, Frisco Woods

4/16 Jerry exiting gibe.

Hatteras, Frisco Woods

Greetings from Hatteras. We have been up here since Sunday and have had plenty of cold air, cold water and wind. Monday the wind was light but in the afternoon a storm came up and I was out on a 6.0 for a couple of hours. Got to see a full rainbow over Hatteras as the sun went down. Tuesday the wind was blowing 30 mph with gusts to 35, went out on a 4.5 and was overpowered. Went back out on a 4.0 and it was manageable but the gusts put you in a survival mode and it didn't feel like fun anymore. The experienced guys were out on 3.7s and were having a good time. In the afternoon it built to 33 gusting to 41. Yesterday it was blowing 27 - 32. Went out for an hour on a 5.0 and was overpowered the whole time. Re-rigged a 4.0 and went out two more times, I was getting dialed in and having a good time. It was amazing to watch the experienced windsurfers sail, doing flips and other tricks.

Hatteras, Frisco Woods

4/16 Unknown sailor performing a flaka?

Wow what a great week of windsurfing! I was on the water Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on a 7.0. Couldn't make it Friday but I heard that was another great day. Saturday at noon I headed out to the House of Refuge on a 6.0 and had a great time sailing with Art and James but the wind came up a bit and it was a struggle getting back. Hit a top speed of 31.6mph. Ended up rigging a 4.0 and went back out for a half hour or so. Logged 120 miles on the gps for the week.

Weather Link - Hourly Wind Predictions

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?Submit=Submit&FcstType=graphical&textField1=27.284562043796&textField2=-80.274152542373&site=mlb&WindBox=1&AheadHour=0

Thanks Fred.

3-17-8 Roger and Henry

It has been two months since Roger has been on the water and he was all smiles after he finished his session Monday.

Someone left a chinook boom and a chair at the causeway. See Jon if you left them. Also someone left a harness, if you found one talk to Jon.

3-18-8

I thought Saturday was a pretty good day on the water. Wind was out of the SSW and I rigged an 8.5 on a formula board. There were some huge gusts and some huge holes but the board coasted through most of it.
Today was really good, wind was out of the NE and I was on a 7.0. I couldn't stay out of the channel, there was large stretches of flat water and I could make some really long runs. I came back after work and was back out in the channel. (this brings new meaning to channel surfing) Dino was out and we found a really flat stretch of water south of the spoil island. Huge gust came through and Dino hit 32.9mph. Sailed till sunset! Tomorrow is supposed to be better.

3/8/8 Dino, James and Jon

This weekend was great for windsurfing. Saturday the wind was out of the NW and most everyone was on 4.0s to 4.5s. Sunday the wind was out of the NNW and had backed down some and most people were on 6.5s. I really enjoyed the west side of the river, water was fairly flat and the wind was filled in.

3/8/8 Jon's catching some air.

3/3/8 Jerry is heading in.